Everquest : The Making of a Classic

[Srs Not Ames]

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/9/feature/5970/EverQuest-The-Making-of-a-Classic.html

"In 1999, I was just 8 years old. One day, my parents brought home a bag, nestled inside was a box, and etched upon its blue cover were the words "EverQuest" - a prettier sight I had yet to see. My heart skipped a beat as I hurried upstairs and waited for my Windows 95' machine to flicker into life; I gnawed at my fingers as the installation process sluggishly moved along, and finally the desktop shortcut appeared and I readied my fingers to click - suddenly two figures emerged into the room, one pointed to the clock and announced it was bed time. I suppose it was a school night....."

[Uthgaard]

But not everything was plain sailing within EverQuest's development, and by 1997 problems were starting to arise - namely that of the 3D engine. Software rendering was originally selected as the method of EverQuest's graphical workings, but quickly it became apparent that this wouldn't cut the Norrathian mustard; a new solution was needed, and quick. After much debate, John Smedley decided that hardware rendering was the way forward, and a gamble on the new Voodoo and GeForce cards of the time.

The first day I played everquest, one of my friends had just bought a Voodoo 3 to play it. It seemed pretty cool so I figured I'd give it a shot. I didn't have a fancy video card with 3d acceleration, and I was playing on a Pentium II, I think it was 266mhz. I started a rogue in freeport, ran around looking for the rogue guild, some chick showed me where and gave me a golden earring with no stats.

Then I got on the boat.

Loading please wait...

It took me so long to load that by it was done loading, the boat was already zoning again. I had to use my friend's computer to get off the boat, and shortly after, I got a Voodoo 3 myself.

[Nirgon]

Everquest itself almost couldn't cut the Norrathian mustard.

It's like if Ditka and God played a game of golf.

[Kassel]

my first eq experiance was when i took home EQ from my local PC game rental store (you know where you pay $5 to rent the game for 3 days and burn it on to a CD) I could not register it as the guy who had rented it prior to me did, i returned it demanded my $5! 3 months later i caved and bought it.

[Nirgon]

3 months later


Wait... wait... you kept playing even though other people were ahead? Didn't you at least troll the boards? :(

Oh how times have changed peoples.

[Brimacombe]

I was in my mid 20's, hanging around in a small town in Missouri when George the GERman (He looked like a giant dwarf with beard and all) told me computers had finally advanced enough to make a decent D&D game. I went to the store and bought a copy of the game and grew five inches of beard loading it.
His druid was 35, named Troma Splitpaw. He took me from Felwithe to Qeynos for some reason. In retrospect I think it was to start interacting with the gnolls he loved so much. It was late and he logged for the night, and I started running around the Karanas. I knew nothing of binding. I remember seeing a Giant bearing down on me and someone shouting "Run". LOADING, PLEASE WAIT... The next day he bound me in Qeynos.
He looked concerned when I rolled an Enchanter and told me it was a bad choice for a starting character, but I stuck to my guns, visions of making magical swords swimming in my mind. Shortly after I saw a marriage at the waterfall in EK and I was hooked on the depth of the game and the community who played.
Brimacombe was born. I think I got his name out of the phone book...
I guarantee you I will be buying EQ Next the day it comes out. :)

- Brimacombe

On a similar funny note, I was in a group in Unrest with a German guild, and I kept asking if they wanted me to cast mist on them. They kept not replying, so I kept asking. Only later did my friend tell me that mist is slang for feces. I was asking them if they wanted me to throw feces on them. Still brings a smile to my face.
I still wish I could drop plat so I could minor illusion it and when someone in WFP tried to pick me up shout "DON'T TOUCH ME!"